Tag: racism

Not more than a year after the tragic mosque shooting that took place in Quebec, this past week on Jan. 30, the Jami Omar Mosque in Ottawa was plastered with racist posters. This news should shock citizens because to think that someone could possess such a strong hatred towards a minority group is unfathomable, but I am far from surprised. What was supposed to be a time to solemnly mourn, remember and mark the first anniversary of the Quebec shooting that killed six worshippers, while also injuring 19, derailed into yet another anniversary of an unfortunate event to be marked next year. Events such as the vandalism of a mosque have just become another blurry page to flip past in […]

Standing firmly between Richcraft Hall (formerly the River Building) and Steacie Building is a statue of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. More popularly known as “Gandhi,” he is known around the world as the anti-colonial leader who (supposedly) brought an end to the British colonization of India single-handedly. In the West, many argue he is one of the greatest individuals to ever tread this earth-that he is the activist who guided India to its independence through the application of his now well-known philosophy of non-violence. Yet, it is insufficient to state the obvious about Gandhi without questioning the legacy of the man we have collectively placed on a moral pedestal. Gandhi was a racist. He utilised anti-Black racism as a weapon to […]

Minority groups—who are at a historical disadvantage, who are suffering in some capacity, and many of whom are currently resisting together—are not one and the same through and through. In this time and climate of revolt against long-standing oppressive values and systems, I find it allows society as a whole to see social revolutions continuing today between two groups: white supremacists and the rest of the world. So it becomes very easy in these generalizations to overlook details that may not seem too important or worth deep, ongoing consideration. What I want to call attention to is that as minority groups are banding together, it is important not to totally conflate their experiences. I am not going to write as if […]

Around this time of year, Facebook timelines become rife with articles and comment sections on acceptable and unacceptable Halloween costumes. It is also around this time of year that drunk teenagers start to wear chicken-feather headdresses, and paint their faces with washable finger paint in red. At the same time, little girls wanting to go as Moana are getting the finger-wag from the Facebook comment section jury. Earlier today I spotted one of the newer controversies: an Anne Frank costume, sold by an obscure Halloween costume website up until last week, when it was pulled. It’s easy to see where this costume goes wrong. It’s an association between something grave and something petty, making it feel like it is disrespectful […]

Graham Swaney explores how Canadian universities are balancing the right to freedom-of-speech in a world increasingly motivated by hate. Far-right nationalism and white supremacy have seen a massive global resurgence in recent years. While Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election is perhaps the most notable manifestation of this trend, white supremacist activity and right-wing nationalism has also established footholds in many other Western nations. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Front party won over a third of the votes cast in the 2017 French presidential elections, and just a few weeks ago, Germany’s far-right party Alternative for Germany took 13 per cent of the national vote which enabled them to enter the country’s parliament for the first time. […]